UNIT 7: MILITARY CONFLICT

LESSON 7.4: TEXAS INDEPENDENCE AND THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR

Focus

• What do you already know about the Texan War for Independence and the War with Mexico?

INDEPENDENCE FOR TEXAS

SETTING THE STAGE

• Americans Who Settled In Texas Did Not Assimilate As The Mexican Government Had Hoped. The Struggle Over Control Of That Border Territory Resulted In A Rebellion And, After Some Dramatic Military Encounters, Independence For Texas.

EMPRESARIOS AND SETTLERS• National Colonization Act Gives 26 Empresarios, Or Agents, Large

Plots Of Land Meant For American Colonization• Stephen Austin Most Successful Of Empresarios

AMERICANIZING TEXAS

• Few Americans Came To See Mexico As Their Own Country In Texas Territory

• Mexico Became Distrustful Of American Settlers Due To American Culture (Didn’t Convert To Rc)

• As A Result, In 1830 Mexico Closed Border To Further Immigration, And Raised Tariffs On American Products

• Settlers Infuriated:• Settlements Could Not Grow• Became Expensive To Purchase American Goods• Mexico Making Rules For Them!!!

TEXAS GOES TO WAR

• Stephen Austin Tries To Negotiate W/ Mexican Pres. Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna

• Austin Eventually Arrested For Treason, Imprisoned W/Out Trial• Santa Anna Declares Himself Dictator • Austin Released From Prison In 1835, Urges Texas To Organize

Army

THE EARLY BATTLES “COME AND TAKE IT!”

• Texas Army Enjoyed Its First Taste Of Victory At Military Post At Gonzales

• Rebels Drive Much Larger Force Out Of San Antonio• Texas Draws Up Constitution (W / Slavery)

THE ALAMO• 180 Texans Under Command Of Lt. Col. William Travis

Holed Up In Alamo-pg. 267• Mission = Hold Off 6,000 Troops Under Santa Anna To

Give Sam Houston Time To Raise And Organize Army.• Rebels Held Off Mexican Army For 13 Days, But All

Were Killed In The End

GOLIAD• Two Weeks After The Alamo, Texas Troops At Goliad

Surrendered And Were Executed

THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO

• Sam Houston’s Army Slaughters Santa Anna’s Sleeping Army, Captured Santa Anna

THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS

• IN SEPTEMBER 1836, SAM HOUSTON VOTED AS PRESIDENT• ALSO VOTED FOR ANNEXATION• DUE TO TENSIONS IN THE USA OVER ISSUE OF SLAVERY,

ANDREW JACKSON DID NOT ADMIT TEXAS INTO USA• TEXAS RECOGNIZED BY JACKSON AS AN INDEPENDENT

NATION

The Oregon Question and WAR WITH MEXICO

• By 1844, Control Of Oregon And Annexation Of Texas Became Major Political Issues.

The Oregon Question

• Polk’s rallying cry “fifty-four forty or fight” declared the USA shoud control all of Oregon below the line of 54 40’ north latitude

• Manifest destiny baby!• Matter settled

diplomatically in Oregon Treaty b/w USA and Great Britain

The Annexation of Texas• Mexico Outraged!• Matters Worsened

Due To Dispute Over Southern Border

• Mexico = Neuces River

• USA = Rio Grande

Reasons for War

• Polk Orders Troops Led By Zachary Taylor To Cross Neuces River

• “American Blood Has Been Spilt On American Soil”!

• Opponents Saw War An Attempt At Extending Slavery

The Fighting Begins

• Before Polk even signed the declaration of war, Taylor’s troops defeated Mexican troops at Palo Alto and at Resaca de la Palma.

• Further north, an American force , led by Stephen Kearney, took Santa Fe after the Mexican troops fled

• Settlers in northern California led by John Fremont revolted, and declared California independent from Mexico.

• They created the Bear Flag Republic. A few weeks later the American Navy took possession of California for the United States

To Mexico City

• Mexico refused to surrender

• Polk sent troops to Veracruz, and began march west to Mexico City.

• Polk saw Taylor as possible rival in 1848 election, so he replaced Taylor with General Winfield Scott.

• Polk ordered Scott and his troops to capture Mexico City

• The city was captured on Sept. 14, 1847, after hard fighting.

THE PEACE TREATY

• TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO =

• MEXICO CEDED (GAVE UP) 500,000 SQ MILES

• RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN BORDER• USA PAID MEXICO 15 MILLION AND

AGREED TO TAKE UP 3.25 MILLION IN MEXICAN DEBT

• DREAM OF MANIFEST DESTINY REALIZED!

• QUESTION OF SLAVERY IN NEW TERRITORIES WOULD LEAD TO ANOTHER WAR……..

ACTIVITY

Primary Source Document “Polks Diary”

REFLECTION• SUMMARIZE IN YOUR OWN WORDS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

TODAY…..• WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CAUSES FOR THE TEXAS WAR FOR

INDEPENDENCE?• WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE

SOLDIERS DEFENDING THE ALAMO DURING THE TEXAS WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE?

• HOW WAS THE TEXAN ARMY ABLE TO DEFEAT THE MEXICAN ARMY?

• WHAT WERE SOME OF THE REASONS THE UNITED STATES DECLARED WAR ON MEXICO.

• SUMMARIZE THE PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO.

• WHAT NEW PROBLEM DID THE ADDITION OF TERRITORIES CAUSE FOR THE UNITED STATES?